Nina Hopkins
Nina Hopkins (ニナ・ホプキンス, Nina Hopukinsu) is an established tailor who owns a tailor shop called Hopkins' Tailor Shop, which is based in London.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 107, page 7 She is known as "the tailor who announces the seasons."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 7 Nina regularly designs and sews Ciel Phantomhive's clothing, particularly for special occasions, such as his coronation.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 63, pages 22-23 Her family line has outfitted many generations of the Queen's Watchdog.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, page 7 As of late, Nina has been commissioned to design all of the costumes at Sphere Music Hall.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, page 5 Appearance Nina has light-brown eyes and styles her brown hair into a curly ponytail worn on the left side of her head. Suggestive of her position as a tailor, Nina presents herself as a proper and well-dressed woman to polite society. She dons a tight, low-cut, long-sleeved top and a vest sewn with black lace placed over it, as well as a tear-away skirt that reveals shorts underneath—something Elizabeth Midford had remarked on in the past as being "unladylike."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 11 Beneath the shorts, she also wears visible garters. In addition, she sports thigh-high boots and accessories, such as a large bow, choker, glasses, and earrings, on a regular basis. Personality Nina is a dramatic, theatrical individual, who is prone to long rants, loud outbursts, and exaggerations; especially when inspired to create clothes, she would burst with excitement and zealously translate her ideas onto paper. She detests being interrupted while outlining her rough drafts, as indicated when she snapped at Sebastian Michaelis after he attempted to provide his opinion.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 15 Moreover, if she finds that the outfit she constructed does not the suit the person it is for, she would become exasperated and impulsively rip it apart, even while the person is trying it on, which is what she once did with Ciel Phantomhive.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 20 Nina is exceptionally talented at her job, capable of swiftly designing outfits; in fact, she had tailored a shirt in the time it took Ciel and Elizabeth Midford to enjoy afternoon tea.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 19 She tends to craft modern and voguish outfits, as evidenced when she modeled Sieglinde Sullivan's outfit after the "Alice Style," which she claimed is the "current craze" among young girls.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 107, page 15 Nina has a radical perspective on fashion. She loathes dressing in conservative clothes and supports constant reforms. A strong advocate of liberal concepts, she believes women should discard restrictive customs and free themselves from social constraints.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 11 In addition, Nina is headstrong, stubborn, and quick to defend her fashion views; for instance, not only did she refuse to reflect on Sebastian's criticism of the color red on Ciel, she reacted to the criticism with hostility, kicking him out of the room and dismissing him as an amateur.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 16-17 Furthermore, Nina exclusively cares for women and boys — but they must be fifteen years of age or younger — a preference she makes no mystery, having confirmed it herself.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 16 On two separate occasions, she demonstrated said preference by blatantly ignoring Baldroy and Finnian in favor of paying attention to Mey-Rin, and insultingly calling Sebastian "Mister Hardhead."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 9 History Nina had designed Ciel Phantomhive's coronation outfit, which Ciel wore while he was inducted to earl at a ceremony.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 63, pages 22-23 Plot Red Butler Arc Nina tailors a dress for Ciel Phantomhive, so that he can disguise as a young girl at one of Aleistor Chamber's parties.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 12-13 Circus Arc Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis return to the manor after taking care of Baron Kelvin and investigating the Renbourn Workhouse. Elizabeth declares that she would like them to wear new clothes so they can go on a boat ride. Sebastian calls in a tailor so she can get her wish, with Nina Hopkins arriving shortly after.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 6 Nina warmly greets Mey-Rin upon her arrival, inquiring if the maid costume she had made for her has come in handy yet, while groping Mey-Rin's body, much to her apparent embarrassment. When Finnian and Baldroy go outside to greet her, she clearly ignores them, something they both angrily comment on. She asks Mey-Rin to lead her to Ciel, coming in through the front door, which Sebastian reprimands her for.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 7-9 prevents Elizabeth from seeing Ciel's slave mark while Nina measures Ciel's body.]] Nina then proceeds to take measurements of Ciel and notes that he has become even thinner lately. As a result, she is inspired to create fancy, matching, Easter clothes for Ciel and Elizabeth. She goes into detail, describing the potential outfits; when Sebastian commented that the color red would make Ciel look too childish, she throws the three of them out of the room while she continues to work.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 10-17 Soon after, Nina retrieves them from their afternoon tea and obliges Ciel to try on a new shirt. She decides the silhouette is not correct and rips it off of him, exposing his slave brand mark. He attempts to prevent Elizabeth from seeing it, but when Nina grabbed his arm so she can measure, Sebastian is forced to awkwardly cover it. Nina questions this, but Ciel claims he has hurt his leg and needs support, ordering Sebastian not to remove his hand. This makes Nina's job of measuring unnecessarily difficult, prompting her to complain. In order to allow her to complete her job, Ciel tells Elizabeth that it embarrasses him to have her stare at his naked body so much, which causes her to turn her head and look away. Once Nina completes the measurements, she tells Ciel he can dress again, and she moves elsewhere in the room.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 19-27 Luxury Liner Arc On Easter Day, Nina heads to Phantomhive Manor to celebrate the holiday with Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis, Elizabeth Midford, Edward Midford, Soma Asman Kadar, Agni, Baldroy, Finnian, Snake, Tanaka, and Mey-Rin, whom she affectionately hugs. When Soma points out that he is sporting his regular clothes despite the holiday, Nina unveils her new spring collection; she has Ciel, Edward, Soma, and Agni dress in outfits she tailored, and is proud of the results.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 66, pages 4-8 Elizabeth arranges the Easter Egg Hunt, an event in which all parties must vie to obtain her hidden egg. After Charles Grey and Charles Phipps announce their intent to take part in the competition, Sebastian establishes the rules of the game and has the participants divide into teams of two. Nina is paired with Edward, to her great displeasure, as she wishes to be paired with a woman.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 66, pages 9-14 The game begins, and all the teams disperse. Edward urges Nina to hurry, which prompts her to tear away her skirt, thereby revealing the shorts she has underneath. Edward is appalled by her attire, saying that she should be ashamed. Nina leans in close to him, admonishing him for being stereotypical and narrow-minded. Flustered, he tells her to cover her legs. While they are distracted, Mey-Rin employs a slingshot and destroys their egg. Both Nina and Edward are, thus, disqualified, to their distress, the former of which saddened by the fact that she now cannot force Mey-Rin to wear what she has on.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 66, pages 15-17 After the hunt—Ciel is the victor—Nina joins the rest of the participants for a snack outdoors.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 66, page 36 Public School Arc Prior to Blue House's win at Weston College's annual cricket tournament, Sebastian Michaelis commissions Nina to tailor a suit for Ciel Phantomhive to wear during the Boat Parade, which is an event that honors the victors of said tournament.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 81, page 3 Emerald Witch Arc Ciel, Sebastian, Sieglinde, and Wolfram visit Nina's tailor shop. On Ciel's request, Nina drags Sieglinde away to measure her. Her assistants, Meg and Augusta, meanwhile, measure Wolfram. While Nina gushes over Sieglinde's would-be outfit, Sieglinde is awed by a portrait of a girl with a bob cut and asks Nina for the same haircut. When Sieglinde shows off her new hair to them, Sebastian scolds Nina for disrespecting the social rule that ladies should have their hair up when granted an audience with Queen Victoria. Nina calls him hardheaded and bids the group farewell when they leave.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 107, pages 9-15 Blue Cult Arc Outside the Sphere Music Hall, a couple of tradesmen accidentally drop a box, and Nina, followed by her two assistants, scolds them, asserting that, unlike the tradesmen, haute couture is delicate and that she cannot stand men.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 115, pages 14-15 After dropping off her tailored clothes, Nina and her two assistants exit Sphere Music Hall. When Ciel Phantomhive offers to escort her home, Nina initially rejects him, as she does not see him. After he reveals himself, however, an ecstatic Nina climbs in his carriage. There, she affirms that all of the costumes at the music hall are made by Hopkins' Tailor Shop, a business she manages. She explains that although she would have refused to design costumes for men over fifteen, the attendees of the music hall convinced her to with their enthusiasm, and talks about how involved Blavat Sky is, for he produces both the S4's songs and their clothing, always attends the fittings, and gives "innovative" and "daring" suggestions, unlike Sebastian Michaelis.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, pages 4-6 Nina, then, acknowledges that there must be more to Blavat since Ciel is asking so many questions about him. Ciel commends her for being quick to catch on and states that that is what he would expect from someone whose family line outfitted many generations of the Queen's Watchdog. Nina confesses that while she knows the measurements of the S4, Blavat, and "those with the names of stars," she has never actually measured or seen "those with the names of stars," who are of higher status than the S4. She says that she was commissioned to design costumes for everyone, and begins to ramble about the Grecian robes she made for the special event attendees. Ciel urges her to tell him more about the ones with the names of stars, and she discloses what she knows.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, pages 7-11 When Ciel requests that she brings Sebastian with her the next time she returns to the music hall, Nina flatly refuses to, in fear that Sebastian's "outdated grab" will tarnish her reputation. Ciel, then, grants her permission to choose Sebastian's clothes, to her joy. At Hopkins' Tailor Shop, Nina forces Sebastian to change in and out of several outfits.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, pages 11-15 The following week, Nina, her assistants, and Sebastian, who is attired in clothes Nina has deemed fitting, head to the music hall, with the former reminding Sebastian that she is simply doing a favor for Ciel and that he must not get in her way. At the entrance, they greet the worker, who notices that Sebastian is new; Nina tells him that Sebastian's purpose is to carry things. Subsequently, Nina shows Sebastian where the four doors are, and they part ways, with Nina going off to distract Blavat while Sebastian investigates.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 116, pages 16-18 Quotes * (To Mey-Rin) "Might my maid costume have come in handy this time? You have such nice materials to work with, so I can make some nice highlights. Next time at my store..."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 8 * "Women who discard restrictive customs are much more free. It's the same with clothes, Greek and Japanese style clothes that are easy to move in and give a relaxed silhouette will be all the rage from now on. Of course, the silhouette is important for men too! And for such a beautiful silhouette, detailed measurements are essential!"Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 11-12 * "I have no interest in anything but boys and girls under fifteen!" * (Referring to Sebastian Michaelis) "This is why I don't like Mr. Stiff. Have you ever heard of the saying, 'You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs'? I can't stand having to listen to the whining of an amateur!"Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, page 17 Trivia * According to [[The Butler, Casting a Vote|the official Kuroshitsuji character popularity poll]], Nina is the thirty-fifth most popular character in the series, with 14 votes.June 2015 Issue of Square Enix's GFantasy Magazine References Navigation pl:Nina Hopkins es:Nina Hopkins ru:Нина Хопкинс pt-br:Nina Hopkins it:Nina Hopkins Category:Characters Category:Manga-Only Characters Category:Circus Arc Category:Luxury Liner Arc Category:Emerald Witch Arc Category:Blue Cult Arc Category:Female characters